Forced circulation vapor generator



Aug. 15, 1939. H. voRKAuF I FORCED CIRCULATION VAPOR GENERATOR Filed Feb.' 14, 1959 LUULU Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES ioni/i Heinrich Verkauf, Berlin, Germany,

La Mont Corporation, poration of New York assignor to New York, N. Y., a cor- Application February 14, 1939, Serial No. 256,333

In Germany 2 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to heat exchangers and particularly to vapor generators having forced liquid circulation, and a general object of the invention is to insure the constancy of the liquid circulation.

Generally in steam generators having forced water circulation the water to be circulated flows from a drum in which separation of steam and water takes place, or in which the water separated elsewhere is collected, to the circulating pump. With this arrangement, if there be not between the drum and the circulating pump a sufficient difference in height, for example because of lack of space in the building in which the steam generator is located, then it may happen thatwith the dropping of the steam pressure in the generator the conduit to the circulating pump may carry a steam and water mixture and thereby either stop the propelling action of the circulating pump or at least considerably disturb it.

The present invention aims so to construct and arrange the connections between the circulating pump and the drum from which the pump receives the water to be circulated in steam generators having forced circulation that the hot water to be circulated enters the propelling mechanism of the circulating pump with a downwardly directed flow. By such a construction and arrangement not only are the flow relations in the entire tube system most favorable, but provision is made for the escape of any steam bubbles that might otherwise attach themselves in fro-nt of the entrance to the pump and which might result in an unfavorable and insufficient water input.

Among the advantages of the invention are that it makes possible the construction of forced circulation steam generators with relatively small elevation of the boiler water in respect to the circulating pump and, moreover, it permits the utilization of circulating pumps operating with a higher number of revolutions per minute, which pumps are usually both lighter and less expensive.

One of the advantages of employing lighter and faster pumps, which contributes also toI the carrying out of the invention, is that such pumps may be suspended immediately from the conduit thereto coming down from the drum. The pump housing can then be slidably connected with the boiler support or scaiolding. For relieving the weight thus hung upon the drum, load-relieving means, such, for example, as springs under the pump housing, may be provided.

Other objects and important features of the invention will appear from the following descrip- July 1, 1936 tion and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is an end elevation of a forced circulation steam generator, somewhat diagrammatically shown, embodying the present invention, and

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention the Water to be circulated runs from the drum l fastened to the boiler scaifolding or support l, through the conduit 2 to the circulating pump 3 and is forced by this pump into the distributor 4. From the distributor l the water goes in a known manner into the different tube coils 8 and the steam and water mixture produced is then discharged back into the drum l.

Figure 1 particularly shows how extraordinarily simple is the tube system for a steam generator embodying the present invention. The circulating pump 3 is preferably a centrifugal pump, with its axis arranged vertically, and it is suspended from the conduit 2 which in turn is suspended from the drum i. The pump housing can he slidably connected with the boiler scaffolding or support 'l through a slide oar 5 and, to relieve the weight upon the connections tothe drum, compression springs S may be provided. It is also obvious that the pump housing could likewise have its weight counterbalanced by tension springs.

Advantageously the suction conduit 2 and the pressure conduit 9, which runs from the pump 3 to the distributor d, stand as nearly as possible at right angles to each other.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the intake conduit 2 of the present invention, thus constructed and arranged so that it is vertical, short and without essential curves, permits any steam bubbles appearing in the water or other working medium to rise up into the drum l, thus insuring a constant solid water head on the propelling means of the pump 3 whereby a constant uniform propulsion of the water or other working medium is assured.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A forced circulation vapor generator cornprising, in combination, a drum in which the liquid separated from the vapor is collected, a centrifugal circulating pump connected to the liquid storage space of the drum and arranged to turn about a vertical axis, said connection comprising an intake conduit soy arranged that the entire flow of the liquid from the drum is downwardly directed to the center of the propelling mechanism of the pump and along the pump turning about a vertical axis and connected to the liquid storage space of the drum, said connection comprising an intake conduit so arranged that the entire iiow of the liquid from the drum is downwardly directed to the center of the propelling mechanism of the pump and along the axis thereof, said pump being suspended from said conduit and through said conduit from the drum and having means forming a sliding connection with said support.

HEINRICH VORKAUF. 

